Cremer accused appear
One of three men has pending murder case – prosecutor
ONE OF the three men arrested following the murder of Meghan Cremer, 30, has a pending murder case and his next court appearance will reveal whether he was out on bail at the time Cremer was killed.
This emerged yesterday during the appearance of Shiraaz Jaftha, 34, Jeremy Sias, 27, and Charles Daniels, 39, at the Athlone magistrate’s court on a charge of murder.
The court was packed while a group of people holding placards, some with the words “no bail”, outside court chanted that the three accused should be denied bail.
Prosecutor Envar Hartnick said records showed Jaftha had a pending murder case and a drug conviction.
He said Sias had a pending car theft case and had been convicted of assault, and Daniels had a pending theft case and a drug conviction.
Jaftha indicated that he would apply for bail. His case was postponed and he is due back in court on September 11. Sias and Daniels abandoned their bail applications and their case was postponed to October 16 for further investigation.
The arrest of the three followed the discovery of the body of Cremer, a horse trainer, at a sand mine on a Philippi farm last Thursday. Police said her hands had been bound and she had a rope around her neck.
Police spokesperson André Traut said friends had last seen her leaving Vaderlandsche Rietvlei stables in Philippi.
The three men were arrested for allegedly being in possession of a stolen motor vehicle. The charge of murder was added when one of the accused allegedly pointed out to investigators where Cremer’s body could be found, five days after her disappearance.
The group SA Women Fight Back, who staged a protest outside the court, have started a petition against the accused being granted bail and by yesterday it had 60 000 signatures.